It was a year today. One year since two young girls had the
courage to film his death. Kaylynn Gilbert, aged 17 and Alyssa Funari, aged 18
saw what was happening. Despite the threat of mace spray from the murderer,
they kept filming as George Floyd died in front of their phone camera.
Their bravery meant that the world is changing. Black lives
matter. They always have. But that day showed that they didn’t seem to matter
that much and that something needed to be done.
The response around the world was immediate. We’ve seen black men dying before at the
hands of the police, but usually it’s a far-off grainy image. The fact that
this was a few feet away changed everything. This couldn’t be hidden. In 21st
century America, racial prejudice was rife. And lest we pat ourselves on the
back, it’s rife around the rest of the world too.
In the UK, the Government’s recent report was a bit of a
white wash. Literally. A chair that was sensitive to the Government’s rosy blushes
on white cheeks presented something that meant they didn’t have to do much.
Shame.
There is so much more to be done. I applaud the efforts of
the Black Lives Matter movement. It needs to continue. It still needs to be
heard still.
Some responded in a disappointing way when George Floyd
died. Some used the platitude ‘all lives matter.’ A thin veneer of
respectability over a statement that was blatantly racist. Others pointed to
the Black Lives Matter movement and some aspects of it that they didn’t like.
Sure, there will always be points of disagreement with any movement. But just
as we vote for a political party that is as close to our views as possible, whilst
accepting there will be points of disagreement, so with Black Lives Matter. Points
of disagreement on other matters don’t neutralise the central message.
The anger and grief I witnessed from my black brothers and
sisters was and is real. The racial prejudice remains just as real. One year
on, let’s keep raising the fist in defiance of hatred. And as Christian’s, let’s
keep praying.
My Lectio365 bible study this morning captures it well:
‘This season calls out for clenched fists raised in peaceful
protest. But the solutions call out for raised hands clasped in persistent
prayer.’
#BlackLivesMatter
